Google Nexus S review

VoIP calls are supported directly by the handset thanks to Android 2.3’s built-in SIP client. For a lot of consumers, though, this probably won’t be very useful and you’ll still need to install a third-party app, such as Skype.

Otherwise, it’s pretty much business as usual. The 5-megapixel camera on the rear takes decent-enough shots in bright light, but in low-light images suffer from noise. Video, recorded at a resolution of 720×480, suffers from similar problems and it’s a shame that there’s not an option to shoot in HD.

This is the first Android phone we’ve seen with a front-facing camera (640×480 resolution), although support for it is pretty poor at the moment. It’s designed for video calls, but the Skype app doesn’t support it and you can’t make video calls over 3G currently. Hopefully, this situation will improve with future updates.

As it stands, the Nexus S is the best Android phone that you can currently get. Its high hardware specifications and blistering performance make it a joy to use, while the latest version of Android is much slicker and feels like a proper consumer operating system. That said, the build quality could be better and the price is pretty high.

If you want the latest Android updates the second they’re released, this is the phone to buy; if you can hold on for a few months to get them, the Samsung Galaxy S is currently better value.